


In Another Time

by justalittlegreen, nowhiteflaguponmydoor



Category: MASH (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, Multi, adorableness, dads, the bathtub - Freeform, the kids - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2019-12-28
Packaged: 2021-02-19 22:43:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22006570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justalittlegreen/pseuds/justalittlegreen, https://archiveofourown.org/users/nowhiteflaguponmydoor/pseuds/nowhiteflaguponmydoor
Summary: Posit: Meg Cratty's orphanage must evacuate once again. Only this time, Frank Burns has been sent home and BJ Hunnicutt arrives in his place, so the Swamp Rats are more like the Swamp Musketeers. This is written in the form of, "What would happen if..."
Comments: 17
Kudos: 31





	In Another Time

One day, Nurse Cratty's orphanage evacuates to the 4077. BJ ends up with a baby in his arms all night. Trapper tells the bedtime story to the half-dozen kids in the swamp. Hawkeye's entire face is comprised of hearts.

One of the kids crawls into Trapper's cot in the middle of the night. There's no room, so Trap arranges the kid on top of him. He can't sleep well after that, but he's content to have a kiddo on his chest, wrapped in his arms. He cries a little. No shame.

BJ, of course, is zonked out with a baby on _his_ chest.

Hawk wakes in the middle of the night to find BJ standing over him, shushing and bouncing the baby in the tiny wedge of floor that's not covered in children.

The baby's teething. BJ sticks his finger in the gin and rubs it on the baby's gums until she stops fussing.

Trapper wakes up with two more children draped on him.

In the morning, Trapper leaves the tent with one kid piggyback, one on each hip, and one on his shoulders. The remaining child sticks her hand in his back pocket and hangs on. BJ holds the baby. He and Hawk exchange a glance as Trap slowly makes his way across the compound. Hawkeye says, "They look good on him."

And BJ says, "Definitely the right fit."

The wind kicks up and the dust starts to blow. Instinctively, BJ sticks the baby under his shirt and starts to run. Hawkeye throws his bathrobe over BJ and tries to keep up until they reach the OR.

Trapper is the only one who can get the kids to eat. He demonstrates by doing the airplane-with-a-spoon thing and feeding Hawkeye an unexpected dollop of oatmeal. Hawk makes a concerted effort not to gag. Trapper grins at BJ like "huh, shoulda tried this sooner." Soon all the kids are trying to feed Hawkeye. Trap convinces them to feed each other instead.

BJ does his goat-bleating thing with the baby. Trap cracks up, in a warm way, and Hawk melts.

After breakfast, the baby is sleeping and BJ hands her off to Hawkeye. He and Trap divide the kids and try to teach them football. Hawk sits on the sidelines in the shade and holds the baby. Potter comes strolling over as the baby wakes up, takes her from Hawkeye and talks to her and rocks her. The football goes flying right past Hawkeye's nose as one of the kids throws wild. Hawk brays like a donkey and waves his arms in front of Potter and the baby, throwing himself in front of them like a shield.

They whip out the Abercrombie & Fitch bathtub and line the kids up. The kids don't know what a car wash is, but they process through the tub giggling as BJ soaps them up, Trapper washes them down, and Hawkeye lifts them out in a towel and hands them off to waiting nurses, who, with klinger's help, have fashioned nightshirts and pajamas out of pillowcases and sheets.

The last kid is an eight year old who's carrying another baby, a tiny one. Hawkeye takes the baby while the kid gets her bath, and once she climbs out and the kids are gone, the three of them look at each other. BJ's the first to pull his shirt off and strip, so he climbs into the tub and Hawk hands him the baby, who can't sit up on her own yet. He leans back against the canvas, baby curled against his shoulder, and admits, "I never got to do this at home. We don't have a tub that's big enough." 

The other two hold a respectful silence while BJ closes his eyes and quietly weeps.

Maybe there’s one that attaches herself to Hawkeye’s side. She’s very quiet and shy and doesn’t jive with the boisterousness of the other kids and Trap. He’s confused at first and kind of runs his mouth out of nervousness (“Hawkeye”esque) but she sticks close to him and she’s content to just sit next to him while he’s charting in post op. She plays with his bootlaces. When he needs those back, he gives her some yarn. He wraps the skein around the back of the chair and shows her how to wind a ball. When they're finished, he shows her how to knit. BJ comes over having put the baby down for a nap and finds Hawk with the girl on his lap, his hands guiding hers through the stitches.

"You're going to have to teach Erin how to do that. Lord knows I can't."

The next night, trap doesn't even try. He takes his mattress and puts it on the floor, rats be damned, and the kids all snuggle in. 

An hour before it's time to load the kids up, he takes Meg Cratty aside. Offers her all the money he's got. She looks at him fondly and says "sorry Trap, they'll cost you more than that." He gives her a sad grin and promises to pass the collection plate.


End file.
